Phuket

We decided to do a 3-night stay at Marriott’s Mai Khao Beach Resort in Phuket – making this K’s first holiday trip out of Singapore (Hawaii when he was 10-months doesn’t count), and our first holiday trip with the in-laws.

Despite travelling extensively around Hawaii (island-hopping in the time we were there), we had forgotten how it was like travelling with a young child in tow!

K was in high spirits at his favourite ‘Changi Airport’ (having gone often since it’s close to where my in-laws live), pushing the airport trolley, and getting excited over airplanes landing and taking off.

As the husband said, K was probably the only person on-board who actually read (and yes, read out loud the words of the pictures he knew) the safety guide – much to the amusement of the passengers around us.

The resort was pretty much self-contained, and about an hours’ drive from the tourist area of Patong Beach. This means that we only left the hotel once in the four days we were there. Having said that, it was ultra kids-friendly; K loved the play room, which he discovered immediately upon reaching the resort, as we were checking in. The parents loved the fact that customised meals could be made for the child – meaning K could have his usual no-salt, no-seasoning meals.

The 2-bedroom suite which we had booked was huge –  a proper living area, a dining and kitchenette, and 2 comfortably-sized en-suite rooms.

K was awed by the place, and couldn’t quite decide where to begin jumping about first.

The resort itself was flanked by other Marriott hotels – which means we had access to a wide range of restaurants and facilities, although you needed to take a shuttle bus (approx. 5 minutes distance between each resort). That didn’t stop us from going to the various resorts though, for K to have a go at the different play rooms.

K’s favourite toys are currently train sets, airplanes and buses, and musical instruments – in that order.

Despite K being slightly sniffy, we decided to bring him swimming in the evening, when the sun had set slightly.

The water was nice and warm due to the strong sun in the day – awesome!

Not sure if you can read the banner on the right, but it says “Husband’s Day Care Centre”. In slightly smaller print, it advertises itself as “providing care to your husbands for you to have a relaxing day out”. “Just drop your husband off with us” – proclaims the banner. Hmmmmmmm.

We managed to sneak in a spa session at the resort after we had put K to bed. Thai massage is most definitely the best form of massage – all that stretching had us nice and relaxed. Perfect for a good night’s rest!

K learnt how to accurate pronounce the word ‘elephant’ during our stay - 爷爷 thus rewarded him with the T-shirt that he’s wearing above.

Ending the trip with K’s favourite – a ride on the ‘bus’ (shuttle that brings us across the resorts).

Yummy Sabah

It’s been an amazing holiday of sleep, spa, food, food and more food. We’ve been on a food hunt to try everything that’s recommended, so our days have been planned around our meals. And then spas in between.

Exactly our kind of holiday :)

Finally… a HOLIDAY!

Can’t wait to take in the fresh mountainous air at Kota Kinabalu (no, we’re not climbing the mountain; does that even sound like something we’ll do? :D). Be back on Wednesday!

(And yes, we’re celebrating Valentine’s Day there; Say “no!” to overpriced Singaporean restaurants!)

Bali Round 2

The last time we went to Bali, we stayed mostly within Seminyak and Kuta. This time, we stayed in the Banyan Tree, which was quite far from everything and anything really. But it was lavish.

The toilet itself was probably bigger than the master bedroom in our Singapore apartment. And the picture below shows just half of the toilet (the other half being ‘his’ and ‘her’ wardrobes). And it was just one of the three toilets in the house (the other two being a common toilet by the living room, and a smaller toilet attached to the second bedroom).

The living room was huge too. The couch was mega, and there was a full kitchen, and a dining area!

The posh master bedroom connected straight to the lap pool.

The lap pool was nice and warm, although we spotted some baby monkeys trying to drink out of it one morning. (The picture on the left shows the lap pool with a view from the garden, while the right shows the view from inside the bedroom.)

To the left of the lap pool was a patio to laze on, and our private, (warm) jacuzzi.

Because we were there for just 3 days and 2 nights, we didn’t do much beyond lounging around the villa, eating, and doing a spa. The daily breakfast (included in the package) wow-ed us for several reasons.

The husband was impressed with the free flow of (yummy) champagne, and extensive choice of freshly squeezed juices. I was just impressed by how many choices there were – for everything! Just look at the amazing amount of stuff you can choose from to add to your congee (below left picture).

There were yummy (tropical) honey flavours to choose from too – longan, mango, rambutan, and even durian!

And the view of the infinity pool was what greeted us at the breakfast terrace every morning. (See the cute little “sampans” in the pool, meant for sunbathers?)

Other than lounging around our beautiful palace place, we took the hotel’s shuttle to Nusa Dua, a 30 minute car ride from the resort, in search of seafood (which really is quite awesome, and cheap (!!) in Bali). The grilled (whole) snapper that I was eating (bottom left picture) was awesome!

We also did a half-day spa, which was nothing to shout about, and all too soon, it was time to return to reality :( A parting shot through the rear windscreen of our vehicle as we left for the airport.

Random note: Security seemed to be really tight in Bali – there were bomb checks by security guards and their dogs whenever a vehicle entered the resort. There were also vehicle checks around tourist hotspots, and at the entrances of many shopping malls and areas!

This weekend, find us at…

The Banyan Tree, Ungasan :)

Ohhhhmmmmmms

Going to Bali to do our chilling out in October. We’re staying at The Banyan Tree (at Ungasan), and are having difficulty finding (cheap and good) spas around the area. Most of the good (and good value for money) ones are in Seminyak – nearly 1.5 hours away. Any recommendations? (Food, spa, all welcome!)

Honolulu. The Food Edition.

Just in case you ever visit Honolulu and would like some dining recommendations, here’s some of our favourites (do note that the list may be biased, especially towards the places close to where we live [Hawaii Kai]). Here goes:

1. Roy’s
We’ve brought all our visitors there and everyone loved it. If you only had 1 meal here, you have to make it Roy’s.

Serving “Hawaiian Regional Cuisine” and often quoted as the best restaurant in Honolulu, the Chocolate Soufflé (just US$9) is TO DIE FOR!!! Best I’ve had in my life. Perfectly crisp on the outside, warm and moist inside. MUST EAT.

Tuesdays through Thursdays, they have a special menu after 8pm which comprises “pupus” (appetizers) for $6 each. Pork ribs – must try!

2. Outback’s Steakhouse
This surprised us because well, we have Outback’s in Singapore and we all know that it’s mediocre.

But the steak (done in whatever way and whatever style) has not failed us (in the 6 times we’ve been there thus far. Yes, we go there twice a month, despite being surrounded by great food.)

Don’t forget to add the ’3 grilled shrimps’ and the ‘grilled scallops’ to your mains because whatever the price, I guarantee it’s worth it!!

3. Hana Sushi
You’d be pleasantly surprised how GOOD Asian food is here. With the Japanese being the second largest community here, it’s no wonder the Japanese food rocks.

Prepared by a Japanese chef and his wife, the sushi (on a conveyor belt) here has the most awesomely generous and fresh servings of fish, topped with yummy flavours. Our personal favourite is the Garlic Salmon (a well cut slice of seared salmon with garlic sauce).

4. Yoghurtland
Ok, so you can get self-serve frozen yoghurt in Singapore too, but this little cafe always has more than 10 flavours at any one time (ranging from Peanut Butter to Honeycomb and Red Velvet Cake) and at least 30 toppings to choose from (their small little pearl-like balls that squirt juices are to die for).

Best of all, it’s all sold by weight, so you can get as much of – or as little of – whatever you want. Prices are great too! We pay on average US$3 for a large cup that we share.

5. Koa Pancake House
This small brunch cafe opened recently in Hawaii Kai. We’ve never gotten around to trying anything else but the Denver Omelette (Ham, Bell Pepper, Tomato, White Onion) together with the Chocolate Chip Pancakes, because yeah, it’s so good we get the same thing every time. Plus, a single meal (US$7.95) is hearty enough for the both of us; with a stack of 3 pancakes and a 3-egg omelette. That’s almost like two meals in one!

6.Fook Yuen Chinese Seafood Restaurant
Awesome roast duck. Awesome steamed fish (this may be pricey). Awesome Maine lobster (just US$12.99 per piece) [pictured below]. This is the place for our Chinese food fix.

7. Steak & Fish Company (at Ala Moana Centre‘s Food Court)
We discovered this place pretty recently while looking around for non-pricey alternatives to food at this huge shopping complex. Located in the (atas) food court, the steak and shrimp here, while pretty pricey (US$13), totally rocks – served with mash, string beans, and corn.

**

Ok, done with the recommended list. Have a couple of others that we thought we’d throw into a “Maybe” list (no particular order).

1. BluWater Grill
Serving “Hawaiian Regional Cuisine”, this is an alternative to Roy’s. Great “poke” (a local dish consisting well marinated cubes of ahi (tuna)), and salmon (served semi rare).

2. L&L Drive Inn
This is a chain serving local food (Loco Moco, “2 scoop rice” etc.). We’ve only tried the Hawaii Kai outlet, but I’m totally sold on their “Spam Fried Rice”, complete with steak and shrimps of course. Good for a reasonably-priced takeaway meal.

3. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
We’ve only tried the Ala Moana Centre outlet, but in the three times we’ve been there, the seafood is always exceedingly fresh, well marinated, and prettily presented! (Our recommendation – bucket of boat trash)

4. For the steamboat fix: Sweet Home Cafe
Did a post on it!

5. For the dim sum fix: Legend Seafood Restaurant
Dim sum served on the traditional push carts. Must try the chicken wings – I finished six pieces myself! Skip the egg tarts though!

P.S. In case you’re wondering what qualifies us for this list: We’ve tried out almost all the rated restaurants / eateries in almost every guidebook/websites that rate restaurants. We also drove more than 45 minutes to get to some of these places (among tons of others that may not be on this list of recommendations).

The last week arrrrgggggghhhh

No time to blog. Busy savouring the last sights… and the food!

(And packing, of course.)

P.S. Independence day, today! Mega fireworks tonight, yay :)

We’ve been hiking!

With a 12-kg weight.

Not. Of course. We drove to the top to view Waimea Canyon. Took us 2 hours but it was AWESOME!

Island hopping round 3

Off to Kuaui!

But there’s free wi-fi in our hotel! Yay :)